Garth Brooks is reportedly eyeing a catalog sale that would be one of the biggest in music history, according to sources cited by the Wall Street Journal. That deal could be valued as high as $2 billion.
Citing anonymous sources familiar with the matter, the WSJ reports that Brooks is in talks with sales ranging from over $1 billion to $2 billion including “potential investors.”
If finalized, the sale would include both Brooks’ songwriting rights and his catalog of recorded music. It could become one of the largest sales of a single artist’s catalog in history.
Could Garth Brooks Become Country Music’s Richest Singer?
Theoretically, yes. A $2 billion catalog sale could bump him up over Beyoncé, who became a billionaire (per Forbes) last year amid the momentum of her Cowboy Carter album and tour.
Brooks is currently within the Top 5 of country’s wealthiest artists. Behind Beyoncé is Dolly Parton, with an estimated net worth of $650 million, followed by Brooks ($400 million) and Shania Twain (approximately $350 million).
But if Brooks’ proposed catalog sale goes through at the price that WSJ reports it could, he might not just be the richest country artist — he could be among the richest singers of any genre.
Jay-Z currently has the highest net worth of any musical star with $2.53 billion, and a $2 billion catalog sale could find Brooks challenging that number.
What Is Included In Garth Brooks’ Catalog?
Garth Brooks has 10 RIAA diamond-certified albums, and he has sold over 200 million albums in the U.S. across his career. His biggest hits include “Friends in Low Places,” “The Dance, “Callin’ Baton Rouge,” “The Thunder Rolls,” “Ain’t Goin’ Down (‘Til the Sun Comes Up)” and many more.
Read More: The Top-Grossing Country Artists of All Time
Brooks wrote or co-wrote several of his hit songs.
An intriguing aspect of any potential sale of Brooks’ catalog is that the singer’s music has been famously inaccessible on many major streaming services.
The singer signed an exclusive streaming agreement with Amazon in 2016, but he balked at the switch to streaming overall, keeping his music off platforms such as Spotify. For many fans, that means getting Brooks’ music on demand still means buying the full album.
Garth Brooks Songs Ranked Worst to First:
